The United States is assembling its most significant concentration of air power in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq War, positioning advanced fighter jets, aircraft carriers, and support assets amid rising tensions with Iran.

The United States military has helped avert a potentially catastrophic mass escape of thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) militants from detention facilities in northeastern Syria as instability deepened in the region, officials said.

Peru faced political upheaval Wednesday as lawmakers moved to install a new head of state after Congress voted to remove interim President José Jerí from office amid mounting scandals.

The United States is withdrawing all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria, ending a decade-long military campaign against the Islamic State, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive citing American officials.

Satellite imagery reviewed by analysts indicates Iran has advanced fortification work at several sensitive military and nuclear-linked sites, including the Parchin military complex and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, according to a Reuters report. The developments come as Washington seeks a negotiated nuclear agreement with Tehran while warning that military options remain on the table if diplomacy fails.

A military confrontation between the United States and Iran could erupt within days and develop into a sustained, multi-week campaign, according to multiple sources cited Wednesday, even as diplomatic talks continue between Washington and Tehran.

Tensions over oil deliveries to Central and Eastern Europe escalated Tuesday after Croatia cautioned against supplying Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia amid a widening dispute over halted pipeline flows.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the second round of nuclear negotiations with Tehran yielded “some progress,” but cautioned that Iran has yet to acknowledge or work through key American red lines set by President Donald Trump.

The United States has surged more than 50 fighter jets to the Middle East over the past 24 hours, according to open-source flight tracking data and confirmation from a U.S. official, as Washington and Tehran conduct a second round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.

U.S. Southern Command announced strikes on three suspected drug boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean.

Russia said Tuesday that its air defenses shot down more than 150 Ukrainian drones overnight, as delegations from Kyiv and Moscow gathered in Geneva for U.S.-backed peace talks aimed at ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

A decision by Elon Musk’s SpaceX to block Russia’s unauthorized use of Starlink may prove to be more than a tactical disruption — it could mark a turning point in the war. Ukrainian commanders and Western intelligence officials told the New York Post that the move has already dealt Moscow a significant operational setback, potentially accelerating conditions that could push the conflict toward its end.

Iran launched live-fire naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, signaling heightened military readiness in one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways as nuclear negotiations with the United States resumed in Europe.

The United States and Hungary have concluded 17 agreements covering nuclear energy, oil, and natural gas cooperation as Budapest faces pressure to reduce its reliance on cheap Russian energy.

Western leaders sought to project unity at the 2026 Munich Security Conference despite tensions over U.S. interest in acquiring Greenland, differences on ending the war in Ukraine, and questions surrounding the future of transatlantic cooperation.